Aunt Esther told me in whispered tones about a cousin who had moved away, married, and “renounced her citizenship”. Sounds mysterious!
The cousin in question was a granddaughter of Emma Hanson Carlson. We met Emma in our previous fact-checking posts – her first husband was killed in a train accident, and one of her sons drowned in a training accident at a boot camp at the start of World War I.
Of Emma’s nine children, only two survived into adulthood: Frank Emmanuel and Waldon. I remember Waldon well; he and his wife Hilda lived in the Lutheran Home nursing care facility just blocks from our house in Arvada.
Frank had four children, two boys Ellsworth and Robert, and two girls Ruth and Lois. The story Esther told me was about Ruth. Here’s how Esther and Ruth were related:
According to the Hultman family book, Ruth married S. Vernon Fawcett on February 18, 1947. A little digging on Ancestry led me to her obituary1, which filled in a lot of blanks and set the record straight:
Obituary of Ruth Elizabeth Fawcett
Ruth Elizabeth Carlson Fawcett, 1925 – 2019
Ruth Elizabeth Carlson Fawcett passed away on July 1st, 2019 at Peterborough Extendicare at the age of 93.
Ruth was born on September 29th, 1925 in Portland, Oregon. She was the third of four children to Frank and Gladys Carlson. While completing her university degree at Berkeley, California, she met her future husband, Vernon Fawcett, a divinity student from Canada. Ruth and Vernon married in 1947 and moved to Mayerthorpe, Alberta. Ruth became a Canadian citizen in 1950. She and Vernon lived for 21 years in Vancouver, B.C. where they welcomed three children into their family. They moved to Toronto, where Vernon had obtained a teaching position at the University of Toronto, in 1968.
Predeceased much too soon by husband Vernon in 1985 and brothers Ellsworth and Bob Carlson, Ruth is survived by her sister Lois Brock of San Mateo, California; children Stuart Fawcett of Winnipeg, David Fawcett (Susan) of London and Karen Adams (Barry) of Peterborough; her grandchildren Christopher Fawcett (Natalie) of Calgary, Jennifer English (Will) of Beverly, Massachusetts, and Colin Adams (Allanna) of Ottawa; and her great grandchildren Keely Fawcett of Calgary, Evan English of Beverly and Cameron Adams of Ottawa.
Chronicling her life from small town America to big cities in Canada, Ruth called her autobiography A Grateful Life, a life that was devoted to her family and her duty as a pacifist to do the right thing politically, socially and environmentally. Politicians got letters, warmongers got picketed, the causes in which she believed got donations, and friends, acquaintances and sometimes strangers got her opinions.
She appreciated the care she received from the staff at the Revera Leaside retirement residence, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre an Peterborough Extendicare. The family wishes to thank Ruth’s dedicated and patient friends and caregivers.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial gathering will be held at a later date.
In Ruth’s memory, family and friends are invited to make a donation to a community cause of their choice, to get involved in their communities and to challenge our leaders to make the right decisions.
She sounds like a lovely lady and I wish I’d known her!
Esther got this one mostly right – Ruth became a citizen of Canada, not England. (And I’m not sure why it had to be whispered!).
Our next two installments will be much more exciting if they prove to be true – gunfire and murder!
1 source: findagrave.com, memorial identification number 200966288, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/200966288.
Esther’s little asides are always interesting.
Esther’s asides were always interesting !
Loved this! Loved spunky Esther!